How Safe Is My Password?

If a determined hacker wants to, they can crack most passwords in 20 days (see infographic below).

You and I, unless you have a few million stashed away somewhere (I don’t 😉 ), are more likely to come across hackers who are amateur, rather then expert.

And one thing we can do to deter them is to make passwords more complex.

Many people have had just one password hacked – but because they use this for multiple sites, the hacker has been able to access multiple identities of theirs. You can’t ask: “Is my password safe”, when you’ve only got one! lol

Having a password hacked that allows loggin in to multiple sites can be a nightmare!

One Login for All Sites

This is especially a risk now that both Google and Microsoft have implemented: “One login for all sites”.

You’ve probably noticed that once you log anywhere on Google now – search, Google plus, YouTube, Gmail, Analytics – you are logged in to all their “properties”.

Is My Password Safe? No!

It may be that you haven’t got much money lying around. But the problem for most of us isn’t theft: these hackers can wreak havoc with your online life. It can take months of hassle and stress to sort out.

Yes, they can create trouble for your friends and contacts – but especially for you.

So it really does pay to start making your passwords more complex if you haven’t already.

Use a Password Manager

The easiest solution is to use a “Password Manager”, which stores hundreds of usernames and passwords in encrypted form so only you can use them.

The two most popular are RoboForm, which I have used for 10 years, or LastPass. They are quite similar. And get them to create a complex login for you and remember it when you register at any site which could be troublesome if hacked.

If you lose a password – which you shouldn’t because these programs will remember it for you – there is always a lost password feature you can use for any site. Using this is a slight hassle, but nothing like the hassle of dealing with a hacked account.

I don’t know where I’d be without my password manager – RoboForm. It also fills in most of an online shopping cart form for me – with one click. Brilliant.

Just How Safe Is My Password?

Check out the infographic for a heads up on just how exposed your current passwords are. It is probably worse than you think…